What to do in Winter When You Can’t Leave the House

Last Updated: March 8, 2017 - 9:00 EST

Does the bad weather and cold of winter have you trapped in the house? Not being able to do as much in the winter can lead to a lot of boring nights, but we’ve got the solution here for you. If you need some inspiration, here is our list of 5 ways to stay entertained indoors during the winter.

1. Keep it light with entertainment and socializing websites and apps.

Get your binge on: Try streaming your favorite shows and movies with services like Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Now; you might be surprised how quickly the hours will fly by when you’re watching an old show you love.

Find a new daily addiction: You may be able to find a website out there that you love so much, you have to go on every day to see what’s new. Some of our favorites include Buzzfeed, with lists of everything popular and newsworthy, Funny or Die, which is full of comedic videos and articles, and Lifehacker, to teach you cheap and simple solutions to life’s constant daily issues. Check one out today!

Find inspiration by creating a new social media account: If you’re looking for something new, jump on board with some of the biggest websites in social media today. If you don’t have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest account already, you should sign up now!

2. Organize your life, and have fun while being productive.

Better manage your tasks: Try a website/app like Evernote or Wunderlist to get your daily tasks and ongoing projects back on track.

Organize your files and pictures: If you’ve got a mess of documents and pictures on your computer and you need to get them in order, try websites like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Flickr. Dropbox and Google Drive are great for storing files, and give you plenty of free storage when you sign up. Flickr is meant for photos, and not only lets you store them, but is a great way to show them off.

3. Start planning a dream vacation to beat the winter blues.

Being stuck in the house can be a real drag, and you’ve probably been dreaming of tropical destinations, or of going on a new adventure. Some of our favorite travel websites include:

Priceline.com – offers the option to “Name Your Own Price” and bid on trips.

Homeaway.com – a property-rental site with over one million listings in 190 countries.

TripAdvisor.com – has thousands of reviews of venues and accommodations all over the world from people who actually stayed there – and now lets you book!

Check one out today to find a great deal on a trip!

4. Start showcasing your talents online and build a following.

If you’ve got writing or artistic talent, you should start sharing it with the world. If you wanted to start your own blog, try a site like Tumblr, or WordPress. If you’re an artist, try showcasing your work on DeviantArt. You can also set up your own photography website with SmugMug. These websites are all great ways to get attention for your work, and connect with like-minded people online.

5. Learn something new and increase your knowledge.

Learn about your family tree: Ancestry.com is the biggest online database for tracking your ancestry, and can help you learn things about your family that you might never have imagined!

Get motivated with Ted Talks: If you don’t know what a Ted Talk is, you should start finding out today. Visit Ted.com to find a library of short lecture videos to help you learn, and get motivated for life.

Get resources from libraries: Try out Hoopla to sign up, and start borrowing resources from libraries all over the world.

Start your classroom-style learning – online: Check out Coursera for courses from the world’s top colleges and universities. You can also take, create, and promote courses of your own on Udemy, which has over 40, 000 courses currently. And finally, try Lynda.com, the educational website owned by LinkedIn, which has lessons on technology, applications, and things that can help you in the workplace.

Don’t forget that TechBomers has over 100 free online courses as well, so if you want to get savvy with popular websites and apps, we’ve got you covered. You could spend quite a few hours learning on TechBoomers, both for new websites you’ve never even heard of and want to start using, and to learn new things you may not have known about websites and apps you use everyday!